Eternal Darkness
by The Night King
Summary: A young boy with a unknown past comes to realize that he has the power to save the world. Along the way, he has to understand and conquer his unique abilities, making many friends and enemies along the road
1. A New Beginning

Chapter One: A New Beginning

In a government facility in the deserts of the US, two scientists scribble on a notepad in a laboratory. They are standing in front of a large cylindrical tube with green liquid inside, and an unconscious boy attached to an oxygen mask and some wires. Little to their knowledge, there is a teenage girl making her way through the airshaft in the ceiling.

"You actually believe that there's some kind of genetic mutation in this kid's body?" the female scientist asked.

"There's got to be." the male replied. "He survived a fire that burned down the entire house, and doesn't even have a scratch or burn on him at all. Something…inhuman is in this boy."

The female stared at her partner, then shrugged her shoulders and looked back at her notes. "Well, either way we need to get out of here. It's getting late and we can always finish this first thing in the morning."

The two scientists walked out of the laboratory, turning off the lights, and turning on the floor sensors before leaving. For a while, all was silent. Suddenly, unseen hands were twisting the nails from the vent out, and the vent opened up as a girl put her legs out over the edge. Dressed in a skintight black outfit, she wore a black overcoat and her long black hair was tied in a bun. Her green eyes took in the surroundings, as she put on a pair of black gloves. Slowly climbing out the vent, she placed her hands along the wall, which stuck her to the wall (1). As she climbed down the wall, she got even with the tube in which the boy was asleep inside, and pink plasma slowly glowed from her index finger.

"So this is the kid," she muttered to herself. She pulled the lever next to the tube, which drained the green liquid inside. Placing the glowing finger on the glass, she cut out a circle and pulled it out. She then reached inside, and pulled the wires off the boy before throwing him over her shoulder. As she placed the glass back in its place, it slipped out her hand and hit the floor, shattering into pieces.

"Oh, that's not good." She said, leaping off the wall and hit the ground running towards the door, causing the boy to stir and wake up.

"Huh…what…where am I?" the boy asked.

"No time! We got to get out of here!" said the girl, pulling the boy, who was now on his own to feet. As they made it to the door, it sprung ajar to reveal two security guards with nightsticks ready in their hands.

"Free-!!"

Before they could finish, the girl had jumped and kicked both guards in the chest, sending them sprawling into the wall. She ran out the room and down the fall, but wheeled around and turned back when she realized the boy wasn't behind her. Returning to the door, she looked at the boy, who was standing in front of her wide-eyed.

"Come on, we have to leave!" she yelled.

Her voice seemed to snap the boy out of his trance, as he now looked at her with his earth colored eyes. "What…why are we running…who are you?" he replied.

"I'll explain late, you've got to come with me though," she said.

"I don't understand, what's going on?" the boy asked, now looking confused.

The girl closed her eyes and sighed, realizing that precious time was being wasted just standing in the lab. Before she could speak, more security guards entered the room, encircling the two with nightsticks in hand.

WHACK!!

One of the officers threw their nightstick at the boy from behind, which connected in the back of his hand, causing the boy to fall over. The girl turned to strike the guard, but before she took a step, a cold chill ran down her spine that caused her to stop in her tracks.

What is this strange thing I feel, it's like…something's growing…she thought to herself.

She looked at the boy, who was now slowing rising with his hands clenched into fists. Looking at the boy's face, she saw something that shook her to her soul.

His eyes and pupils were completely black.

The boy's hands began to glow, the same type of glow that came from the girl's hands earlier, but it was black. In a split second, he had gone from a stand still position to two inches from the guard who had hit him earlier, fist cocked behind him, and delivered a blow that broke the guard's nose and sent him sprawling to the ground. Before anyone could move, he was onto the next guard, kneeing him in the stomach and punching him in the face.

This kid, he's so fast, even I can't catch up! She thought. What is this kid?

She stood there wide-eyed, as the boy was moving at lightning quick speed across the room, beating the mess out of each guard before the others could react. When the last guard fell to the ground, the boy had finally stopped moving, and had looked over the girl, who was still standing there in shock.

"You said we have to go, right?" the boy asked

The girl snapped out of her daze, and ran out of the room and down the hall. After running down a series of hallways, the two eventually found a stairwell. She kicked down the door, only to be welcomed by more guards up the stairs. They began to go up, with guards tailing behind, until they got to the roof. The two ran to the edge and leaned over, looking down at the six flights between them and the ground.

"There's nowhere to run, just give us back the brat!" one of the guards yelled.

"Oh yeah, well you'll just have to come get me then, huh?" the boy replied.

He turned around, grabbed the girl's hand and jumped off the roof to the ground below.

"What the hell are you doing? We won't survive this!" she screamed.

The boy simply closed his eyes, and like magic black angel wings drenched in blood sprouted from his back. The boy screamed in agony as they came out, but the opened up and stopped them from hitting the ground by mere feet. In one quick flap, the two started to fly away. The girl looked back, still in awe, until the lab was out of sight.

"Well, that was more than I bargained for." She said.

With a smile on her face, she turned to look at the boy, who suddenly began to descend in altitude, before his wings disappeared and the slid into the ground. The boy collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily and clutching his chest. The girl went to help him up, and when he looked at her, she noticed that his eyes had returned to the brown that they were before.

"C'mon, hop on my back, I know the rest of the way from here," she said.

The boy simply smiled, climbed on, and closed his eyes, as the girl began to run along the cool night sky, unaware of the all of the adventure that lay before them.

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(1) - she has small suction cups on her gloves.

So that's how it all begins folks. Chapter 2 is coming soon, be sure to leave your comments/reviews.


	2. Who Am I?

Chapter Two:

"What…where am I?"

"Took you long enough to wake up, I wasn't sure you'd get up today."

"But I still don't know where I am"

"You're at my house, on the floor of my room to be specific."

"And you are…?"

"Hmph, I'm Jasmine. I never caught your name."

"That's cause I never threw it."

"Oh ho ho! Looks like someone's not a morning person."

"No, I'm just still sleepy, that's all. My name is James"

"Honey, who are you talking to?"

"Mom!!!"

Jasmine quickly jumped off her bed, and pulled her mom out of the room, closing the door behind her. James was left sitting on the floor, wrapped in a pink comforter and a shirt that was way too big for him. He stared at the door, still trying to put together what had just happened.

"Mom, I can explain." Jasmine said from outside the door.

"Oh you better, if that's the boy I think it is, your father is going to flip!" her mom replied.

"Look, that is the same boy. I did the mission on my own to prove to dad that I can do this. I've been training all my life, and he keeps treating me like I'm a little child!" Jasmine said.

"And you actually thought things would be better by doing this?!" her mom replied. "You took a top secret mission from your dad's personal files, snuck out in the middle of the night, and almost got yourself killed! Have you lost it?"

_Top secret? _James thought._ Why am I involved in something top secret? I don't even know what's going on!_

"No mom, be reasonable. I'm not hurt, he's safe, and everything's cool, so there's nothing to worry about. Just let me explain it to Dad, kay?" Jasmine said.

"Well, all I have to say is…. never mind." replied her mom.

"Why? What's wrong?" said Jasmine.

"He's listening." Said her mom.

_Oh crap_ thought James, as he scrambled back from the door just as it swung open, leaving him staring up a middle aged woman with auburn hair that went to her shoulders and green eyes, just like Jasmine's. He noticed that both Jasmine and her mom were wearing identical sky blue pajamas, with cows sitting on clouds on them. As he stood up, James realized that she was really tall, because he found himself still looking up, about four inches shorter than the woman.

"I apologize if I'm intruding." James said.

"Oh no, not at all." Her mom replied. Her worried expression she wore when opening the door had vanished, replaced by that warm motherly smile that can make anyone feel welcome. "It's not big deal, the more the merrier I always say."

"Since when do you say that?" Jasmine muttered to herself.

"Honey, I'm back." a voice called from downstairs.

"Well, there's you father." Jasmine's mom said, turning to face the girl. "You're going to need Houdini to get out of this one."

"What's the big problem?" James asked.

Before he could answer, a tall, rough looking man had appeared in the doorway next to Jasmine's mom. He was a lot taller than James, and his black eyes widened as he looked into the room and saw James standing there. He ruffled his hand through his short black hair and stared at Jasmine.

"I need to talk to you, downstairs." He said.

James looked on curiously, as Jasmine's mom quickly walked away. James had not meant to do anything wrong, but despite that had no idea what was going on. So, he crept downstairs and hid himself along the banister, listening to Jasmine and her dad.

"What is that boy doing here? Have you been going through my stuff?" her dad asked.

"Well, sort of. But I can explain!" Jasmine said.

"Oh you better, start right now." Her father retorted.

"Okay, well you always said that one day I would start taking up missions. Plus, I've been training with you ever since I could walk. I didn't even have any trouble on the mission. I know I wasn't suppose to, and I'm sorry, but all is well that ends well right?" Jasmine said, looking at her father with puppy dog eyes.

"Don't try that crap with me. How could you be so reckless? I thought I raised you better than that!" her father roared.

"I'm sorry and you have raised me better. But think about this: now that we rescued him, he can go to the Academy, so he can train right?" Jasmine said.

"It doesn't look like I have a choice, do I? Go bring him here" he said.

Jasmine ran up the stairs, basically tripping over James' concealed body along the way. She quickly got up, a rose color filling her face and grabbed James, pulling him down the steps.

"Well I guess there's a lot of things that you want to know, eh? Her dad said.

"Well yeah, I have some questions. For starters, where was I and where am I now? Why was I rescued? And what do I need to train for? James asked.

Her father looked down and ruffled his hand through his hair again. "Where to begin? All right, it's like this. There are people in the world who have unique, special abilities. And I'm not talking those super-genius or abnormalities kinds either. There are people in the world with power, magical power. And there are different kinds of this power, different elements if you will. But the most important, are the two rarest elements of them all: dark and light. One cannot exist without the other, so when one element is in someone, the other can't be far away. It's believed that someone was born with the abilities of the light element. Which would mean that someone would have to been with someone of the dark element."

"Sorry if I'm interjecting, but what's this got to do with me?" James asked.

"Well, it seems that **you** were born with that dark element." Jasmine's dad replied.

"What?! Me? But, I don't have any powers." James said.

"Sure you do." Jasmine cut in. "You used them last night. When you fought the guards, you hands were glowing black, and you had wings."

"I don't remember that. All I remember was getting hit in the head by that guard, and then that's it." James said.

"I expected this." Jasmine's dad said. "You powers are dormant, almost living in a split personality. They're called upon by any extreme amount of a feeling when they can't be controlled, and the user most likely blacks out whenever this happens. It's almost like there are two of you, one with the magical entities and one without, in the same body."

James just stood there, taking this all in. _So, I have some great power _he thought. "So if I go to this Academy, then I'll be able to control and expand my powers?" he asked.

"Most definitely." said Jasmine.

"Alright, then. I'm going to go to the Academy." James said.


	3. Between A Dream And A Hard Place

**Sorry for the wait everyone!!! I had lots of finals and reviews in the last couple of weeks so I've been really busy.**

**Chapter 3: Between a dream and a hard place**

"So this is the school?" James said, looking up at the building in front of him.

"Yup, this is the Academy for the Magical Youth." Jasmine replied.

"AMY?" James said, now looking at her.

Jasmine laughed. "You can call it that."

James looked back at the school. Sitting past the large courtyard that the two were standing in, the school stood four floors high, and the outside was lined with white bricks, and windows in a row on every floor.

"It's a lot bigger on the inside." Jasmine said. "C'mon, I'll show you around."

The two began to walk through the kids running around in the courtyard, and where just about to walk up the stairs when…

"Jasmine!!" a voice yelled.

"Oh crap, why now?" Jasmine said, looking at the sky.

James, with a puzzled look on his face, turned to see who had called out for Jasmine. He saw that the voice came from a tall, athletic-built male. The boy had short, dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a long, almost stretched out face. He was wearing a red school uniform and as the boy stopped in front of the two, James noticed that this boy was taller than him, by an inch or two. The boy was a lot bigger, though. _Who's this guy?_ James thought.

"Good morning, my beautiful." The boy said.

_My beautiful?! What the heck is this? _James thought

"Don't even start, Aaron." Jasmine said. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not going to go out with you?"

"You lips may say one thing, but I know your heart says something else." Aaron said.

"And my fists are saying something else as well, creep." James muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Aaron said, now looking at James. "Who are you and why are you around my beauty?"

"Will you stop that?" Jasmine said, turning red.

"If you must know, I'm a friend of Jasmine, I'm staying at her place right now—" James started.

"WHAT?!?! You, you cretin, are under the same roof as my beloved? I will not allow it!" Aaron said, now standing inches away from James.

"I don't think you really have a choice. So don't have a fit over it." James replied.

"Ah, but I do! I, Aaron Hendrick, master of Earth and the power it holds, challenge you to duel! If I win, you leave!" Aaron said.

"Alright, then. But if I win, you get the hell out of my face!" James replied. "The name's James Wood, and I accept your challenge!"

"James, what are you doing?" Jasmine said, staring at him. "He's not a master of anything, but he's no pushover! And for Christ's sake, you didn't even know about you power until a week ago, and still can't use them!"

"Don't worry, this'll be quick and easy. I don't even need my powers for this guy." James replied, walking to the center of the courtyard.

The two boys stood about ten feet apart, and the rest of the kids in the courtyard had crowded around in a circle to watch.

"Are you ready?" Aaron asked, readying to strike.

"Always." James replied.

"Then, BEGIN!!" Aaron yelled, running at James with fist raised.

Aaron jumped into the air about five feet from where James was standing. _This guy's loony, no way he hits me from back there. _James thought. But Aaron had landed about two feet from James, smashing his hand into the ground. As he did so, large rocks shot up from the ground below James, and a bunch collided with him, sending him flying backwards.

"What the hell was that?" James asked, wiping the blood from his lip.

"That was the Ground Assault, an Earth move that I have perfected to hit my opponent from anywhere. You can't win!" Aaron said, raising his hand to strike the ground again.

"Oh no you don't" James said, and he hurled himself full speed at Aaron.

James jumped and collided his foot into Aaron's face just as Aaron hit the ground, causing rocks to fly from beneath both the boys. Aaron wheeled back, and James leaped forward and landed a punch in Aaron's face. But Aaron hadn't budged an inch from the punch.

_What the…_James thought.

"Fool! I told you before; I am a user of Earth! Your physical attacks do nothing but prolong your defeat." Aaron said, colliding his own fist in James, sending him flying backwards.

James managed to upright himself, and landed on one knee. "That..hurt." James thought.

Aaron ran forward; ready to deliver another punch to James.

"Ugh, I can't lose!!" James said.

James leaped at Aaron, but because he was faster, he landed his punch faster than Aaron. But something weird happened, when James hit Aaron, Aaron went flying back before slamming into the wall about twenty feet away.

_What the hell was that? _James and Aaron thought.

Aaron rose again, and flew at James to strike again. James did the same, but when they were about two feet away, a woman jumped in between them out of nowhere and caught both their punches. James stood there wide-eyed, looking at the woman who had intervened. She was taller than both boys, and with her eyes closed, stood there in a blue dress shirt that wasn't tucked in and black dress pants. Her white hair fell to her shoulders, and she finally opened his eyes, revealing huge blue orbs that were fixated onto the ground. The crowd that had circled the fight had suddenly got really quiet.

"There will be no fighting before school hours." The woman said.

Before James could speak, Aaron took a step back, and bowed to the woman. "I'm terribly sorry Headmaster."

"I understand that it can't be helped, but please try to restrain yourself." She said to Aaron. "Now hurry along, classes will be starting soon."

Aaron quickly got up, gave one last stare at James, and walked away.

"As for you," she said, turning her cold blue eyes upon James. "It would be wise not to start fights on your first day, would it, Mr. Wood?"

"I don't back down from challenges Miss." James replied. "But how do you know me?"

"I'm Headmaster Anika Reynolds. It's my job to know who my students are. And in your case, I came here because there are things that you need to know before you come here. I didn't expect that you'd already be fighting without even knowing any portion of your powers, but I must say that was a good punch you threw."

"What things, exactly?" James asked. 'And why did that one punch send him flying, when the others didn't move him?"

"You're going to find out soon." Anika replied. "Jasmine, you may go to class, I need to have a few words with James, you'll see him later."

"Okay, Headmaster. See you later, James." She said with a wave and headed to the building.

James waved back, watching her walked up to the school building. "A very smart girl, Jasmine is." Anika said. "Anyways, we must get going, so you can get yourself situated. Please follow me."

James and Anika walked up to the building, up the marble steps and through the double doors. Inside, the school was as huge as Jasmine said it was. The two walked straight down the main hallway, and walked into a large room. It looked like a school gymnasium, but there were no hoops hanging from the rafters, or even a bleacher section. There was just a wood floor, and white walls.

"Now, I will explain to you what your powers are and how to use them in the best way I can." Anika said. "You already know what element your powers are, right?"

"Jasmine's dad told me that I have the element of darkness." James said. "But that's all I know."

"Let me ask you this: do you remember anything before you met Jasmine?" Anika asked, her blue eyes again fixated on James as if they were looking through him.

"No, not really." James said. "I remember being at some lab, but I was in something, I don't know what."

"I see." Anika said, " Well, here is what we will do. First I need you to clear your mind, of all distractions because this will require a lot of focus."

"Okay." James said. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled, relaxing his body. _Just relax, clear my mind. _James thought to himself.

Anika walked up to James, and placed a hand on his head. "Know that I will stop if things look to get out of hand." She said

James simply stood there, but then as Anika's hand turned a purplish color, his mind began flooding with visions.

"_You all need to get out right now!"_

"_But I can't leave you, you'll die!"_

"_Forget about me, save the boy!"_

"_What's happening, mommy?"_

"_Shh, my little child. We'll be all right."_

"_Wow, I didn't think that you'd be dumb enough to stay and fight."_

"_Honey, go now! I'll see you again I promise!"_

"_Yeah, in the afterlife! Hahahaha!"_

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!" James screamed, as black plasma began to appear around his hands, flowing furiously. His shirt ripped in the back, as black wings, again with blood dripping from them sprouted from his back. Anika released her hand, as James fell onto his knees, and the wings and plasma disappeared.

"What…was…that?" James asked between breaths.

Anika stood there motionless, as if she had not yet acknowledged his question. She looked down at him "I'm sorry James. I did not know. Those…those were your parents. They were both murdered in an attempt to save your life."


	4. I'll Protect You

Chapter 4 

"_Those…those were your parents. They were both murdered in an attempt to save your life."_

Those words rang through James' head as he stared at the floor on his knees, motionless. _They died…protecting me…_he thought. _Why can't I remember?…why can't I remember who they are, what they even look like?_

Anika stood over him, her huge blue eyes staring into the back of his head. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. Sure, she had figured out that his powers flowed through his emotions, but at such a cost…His parents died in order to save his life, which means that people will always be out to kill him. She had to do something, but what she wasn't sure of yet.

"I know that your mind is in turmoil right now." She said. "But, you have to stand, you have to get up and fight. Because I think, that people will come for you again, but maybe they don't even know you're alive, but then again maybe they do. You have to be strong, not just for yourself, for those who believe in you, and for you parents."

Anika had hesitated before saying those last four words, but after she did, James lifted his head until his brown eyes met her blue ones. James wiped his eyes with his hands, and rose to his feet.

"I, I understand. But I though that no one else had my powers, so how can I learn?" He asked.

"Simple," Anika replied. "The basics of every element are extremely similar. That much, I can teach you. But as for the rest, your unique powers will come out as a result of battle. In other words, you'll have to learn them on your own."

"I will do whatever it takes." James said. "I'm ready."

"Alright then." Anika said. "First things first, you'll have to control your powers if plan on using them. All you have to do is relax and focus on nothing more than battle. Your aura should emit into plasma around your hands. It's that simple."

"Simple, eh?" said James, staring at his hands. "Alright, then."

James closed hid eyes, and put his mind on the fight with Aaron he had this morning. He saw his own movements, and how his punch sent Aaron flying. He reopened his eyes, and much to his surprise, his hands had black plasma flowing around them.

"This…this is cool." James said with a grin on his face.

"This is just the beginning, now you have to use your energy to shoot it from your hand. Just make a motion of pulling back and pushing forward with your hands will do the trick. Like this."

Purple plasma gathered around Anika'a hands, and in the motion she described, she shot a purple ray at the wall, leaving a burnt mark on it. James looked at his still glowing hands, pulled back and pushed forward as hard as his could, sending a black ball flying from his hands and crashing into the same wall, but unlike Anika, his shot put a huge dent into the wall.

"Heh heh, a little too much?" James said, half-smiling.

"No, it's alright, this room is used for training, that's what it's meant for." Anika said with a laugh. "I think that will be enough for today, so you can go and get accustomed to the school. I suggest that you come back tomorrow, so that we can explore into your powers a little more."

And with that, Anika walked out of the room, leaving James standing there staring at the floor. _My parents were killed. _He thought. _I can't even remember what they look like, their names, nothing. But I know I'll find out who killed them, if it's the last thing I do._ And with that, James walked out the gym.

Later that day… 

James walked down the school hallway, heading for the stairs near the cafeteria. As he approached the stairs, he noticed Jasmine was walking up to him with a girl walking alongside her. The girl was about the same height as Jasmine, with flaming red hair that fell to the top of her shoulders. With her big light-brown eyes, she was dressed in the school uniform: a white shirt with a red tie, a black skirt with a red stripe at the bottom of it that fell to her knees, and black buckle shoes. She was laughing at whatever Jasmine had said, but stopped when the two girls walked up to James.

"Hey Jaz, you going to introduce me to your friend?" the girl asked.

"Elmira, this is James. James, this is my friend Elmira." Jasmine said, gesturing to the other girl.

"You can just call me Mira." Said the girl, extending her hand.

James smiled weakly and shook Mira's hand. His mind was still on the topic of the nightmare that kept playing in his head, and he really wanted to be alone right now.

"You'll have to excuse me ladies, I have to be somewhere right now." James said.

"We can tag along if you want, we're not busy plus it's already lunch." Said Jasmine.

"No! I mean…no, I have to go by myself. Catch you later!" he said, and with that, ran up the stairs.

"You friend's a little shy, eh?" said Mira.'

"Not usually, I wonder what's up?" Jasmine replied, looking at where James had stood with a puzzled expression.

The rest of the day, James mind couldn't focus on anything but what had happened to his parents. In class, he just zoned out, not even registering what the teachers were saying about the school year. And of course, Jasmine became well aware that he was deep in though, as they were in all of the same classes. When school was over, the two walked home together, with mostly Jasmine talking, and James pretending to be hearing.

"…I can hardly went for the school sponsored tournament, I mean, that's gonna be a blast! I'll bet that-" Jasmine stopped halfway and looked at James, who was staring at the ground. "You listening?"

"Huh, what? Oh yeah, yeah. Look I'm really tired, you know, long day and all. I'm gonna go lay down." And with that James walked through the front door of Jasmine's house, straight to the guest room in the back, closing the door behind him.

"He's acting really strange lately." She said to herself. "Well, I need to go clean up my room, I left it a mess before I left this morning."

"Oh honey, I thought I heard you come inside." Said her mom from the kitchen. "Listen, I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Jasmine asked, putting her bag down under the table in the front hallway. "Something up?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Her mom said, a saddened look upon her face.

Later that night… 

James stood out on the second floor balcony in his pajamas (a white undershirt and some black shorts), leaning onto the rail staring out into the night sky. _I feel so…so empty. What would my life be like right now, if they were still here? Did they even love me? Don't be stupid, of course they did, otherwise they wouldn't have risked their lives…for me. _James' period of thought was interrupted when a slight knock came from the balcony door. He turned around, and standing in the doorway was Jasmine, wearing her own pajamas (a light pink sleeveless shirt, pink pajama pants with clouds on them, and pink bunny slippers).

"Hey, can't sleep?" she asked, with a weak smile on her face.

"No, not really." He replied, turning back to the sky.

Jasmine walked up next to James. "I knew you were acting weird today, but I didn't want to ask you, if you didn't want to talk about it. But Ms. Reynolds called my mom to tell her, and…she told me what happened."

James closed his eyes and looked away, wanting to desperately change the subject and keep those thoughts out of his head.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know." she continued.

James laughed to himself. "Of course you didn't know. I didn't even know until today." He said.

"But you know, that I'm always here if you need anything, just let me know." She said.

James turned to face her, and slowly looked up at her face. Jasmine gasped lightly, realizing that tears were falling from James. "Thanks, I really needed to hear that." He said.

Jasmine quickly embraced him, holding the sobbing boy tight in her arms. "I'll be there for you. I'll protect you."

Author's Notes 

**Hooray, I finally finished chapter 4. I wanted to have a little softer scene, so I added that little piece at the end. Sorry, sapph1re, no fighting in this one, but as Jasmine said: there **_**will**_** be a fighting tournament held by the school. Sadly, I don't expect to finish the next chapter until after exams which start Thursday and end next Tuesday. Soon enjoy this for now. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you like it so far!**

**-The Night Knig**


	5. Turmoil and Darkness

Chapter 5: Turmoil And Darkness

_James…where are you?_

_Who…who are you?_

_Hahaha (evil laugh), come now, how can you not recognize my voice?_

_What…what are you talking about?_

_I am you. Well, at least that beast that anger that sleeps in you. That power has been dormant for far too long. It yearns to be released, and I warn you trouble will come if it doesn't. So won't you let me come out and play? Hahaha (evil laugh)_

_What are you? What do you want from me?_

_Look at me. You will understand what I am._

_No…it can't be. You're, you're…_

_That's right. I am Dark._

The next morning 

"James… something on your mind?" Jasmine asked, as the two walked towards school. She was dressed in the school uniform for girls, with a pink tie and the same colored stripe on her blouse. James had finally received the boy's uniform: he had on black dress shoes, black dress pants, and a white shirt with a single black stripe on the wrists and a black tie.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." James said, looking down at the ground. His mind was still on what he could remember from his dream last night. It seemed all too real…but what he saw wasn't real was it? Before he could put it out of his mind, he walked right into a girl coming around the corner, and sent the two wheeling backwards to the floor, books and papers scattering everywhere.

"Oh, I'm really sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." James said, picking up the loose papers on the ground.

"It's quite alright. I wasn't paying any attention myself." She replied.

"Wait a minute, don't you go to our school? I've seen you before. Carla, isn't it?" Jasmine asked, handing the girl one her books.

James looked up at the girl as Jasmine said. Sure enough, the two girls had on the same styled uniform, except that Jasmine's had pink stripes, and the other girl had silver ones.

"Yes, it is. Your Jasmine right?" Carla asked, looking down at her feet the entire time.

"Yea, and this is my friend James." She said as James picked up the last pieces of paper and handed it to Carla.

She hadn't even looked up, but James could see that her face had become a rosy shade. "Hi." She said, in a barely audible tone. "Well, I need to get going. See you at school." And with that she was gone.

"She's so shy." Said Jasmine, watching the figure disappear in the distance. "Hey, we got to hurry up, we're going to be late for school."

At school, Jasmine's locker 

"So, how come I always seen you and James hanging out together?" said Mira, with a devilish grin upon her face.

"Don't even start, Mira." Jasmine replied. "It's a long story, and he and I are just friends."

"Uh huh, okay. And you to just happen to be paired with each other on the trip to the museum." Said Mira with a raised eyebrow.

No duh we'd be sitting together, he and I have the same address so the school doesn't see it as a problem. Jasmine tonight. "It's today, I completely forgot about it." 

"Well, regardless of that we need to get to class. The teacher is going over the agenda before we leave." Mira said as Jasmine closed her locker and the two hurried to class.

Same time, training room 

"Ah, good morning Mr. Wood." Said the headmaster as she was standing against the wall. "I meant to inform you yesterday, but your class is going on a field trip to the Museum of Magical History. Therefore, we will not be training today. So you are to go to your class, and enjoy your trip."

"Alright, then." James said, still standing in the doorway. "But just one thing Headmaster, _please _don't call me Mr. Wood. James is fine with me." And with that, he was out the door.

The class piled onto the bus, as they got ready for their trip to the museum. James and Jasmine managed to get seats near the back of the best, with Elmira and Aaron sitting in the row opposite them. James noticed that the girl he ran into earlier, Carla, was not only in his class, but taking a seat in the row directly in front of him. James quickly fell asleep as the bus rode off, trying to rid his mind of his recurring dream. Plus, he figured falling asleep would stop him from having to talk to Jasmine about, seeing as how she could tell something was wrong.

As the bus pulled up to the museum, Jasmine nudged James awake, and the two joined the rest of the students as they filed off of the bus. The teacher was going the rules yet again, but James' mind was still elsewhere.

Is this dream supposed to mean something? I don't get it, I feel like it wasn't just a dream…it was something more. But what? He thought to himself.

"James, c'mon. We're going inside the museum." Jasmine said, nudging James in the ribs and breaking his train of thought.

"Huh, oh yeah, let's go. Don't want to get lost from the rest of the class." James said weakly.

As the class walked around the museum, James couldn't help but focus on his dream and its meaning. Jasmine noticed that he was deeply thinking, as he managed to walk into two walls already, she felt she should watch him more carefully.

"Ah, here we are." The teacher said.

"What exactly is here, sir?" said one of the students.

"These, class, are portraits from the Magical Reformation." The teacher replied. "This was a period in time in which magic was becoming shunned by the rest of society. It was believed to be evil, and many people were killed because they were accused of witchcraft. These paintings were from some of this proclaimed "witches and wizards" during this time."

James looked around the room, noticing that all of the paintings were extremely beautiful and breathtaking. But there was one that caught his eye, one that struck fear in his heart and caused his eyes to widen. The teacher noticed James' acknowledging the picture.

"This painting right here, it is a famous one indeed." Said the teacher. "This painting was believed to be more than what it appears to be. It was believed that two magical entities were sealed away in the painting, one of light, and one of darkness. Can anyone tell me the name of this painting?"

James slowly backed away from the painting, realizing now what his dream had shown him. It can't be... it's impossible!! He thought. As he continued to back away, the words finally escaped his lips.

"The Exalted Black Wings." James said.

"That is correct! I'm surprised you knew that one James." Replied the teacher. "Now, just so you all know, there's nothing to worry about here, there is absolutely no harmful magic in this painting."

As if it was a cue, the ground beneath the museum violently shook as soon as the words escaped the teacher's mouth. Students screamed in shock, and ran to find something to hold on to. Jasmine ran over to James to pull him out of the room, but stopped when she noticed that the painting began to glow.

Suddenly, everything went dark. A scream was heard inside the room, and James instantly ran along the wall, feeling for the lights. When he finally turned them on, he looked around the room for any damage. Everyone was there, except one…

No…Jasmine!!

James bolted out of the room, past the screaming and terrified people until he found the emergency staircase. He ran up the flight of stairs, and bust open the door, only to see Jasmine's still body being held by a man with a long black coat, black gloves, purplish black hair, and black eyes.

"This is impossible! How can you be here? What are you? And what are you doing with Jasmine?" James asked the man.

"Don't be a fool boy, you know perfectly well who I am. And thanks to you and your powers, I am set free to truly release the darkness you hopelessly try to fight." Said the man.

"Dark" was all that came from James as his teeth and fists clenched.

"I'm glad you're aware of who I am. But what I want, that is a different story. If you want your little friend here, come and find me. I won't due her harm, not yet anyways. You should be able to find me, if you let the darkness flow through you. I'll be waiting."

"You son of a –" James lunged towards Dark, but a black whirlwind encircled him and Dark vanished, and Jasmine was gone along with him.

Mira smashed open the door to the roof, soon followed by the rest of the class and the teacher.

"Where is Jasmine? Have you seen her, James?" Mira asked.

James did not even turn around. He only clenched his fist tighter and his tried to contain his anger. "She's gone, Mira. Dark has her."

**I really want to apologize for taking so long, and then this chapter being so short. I had to move from Northern Virginia to Charlotte, North Carolina, and I finally got the computer up. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy and please read and reply. Thank you!!**


	6. Allies and Enemies

**Before I write anything (I should've have put this in my last chapter), I do not own any of the rights to D.N.Angel or any of its characters. They are all the work of Ms. Yukiru Sugisaki, so don't sue me.**

**Chapter 6: Allies and Enemies**

James sat by himself in the headmaster's office, waiting for Anika to arrive. The students had been returned to school since Jasmine disappeared, and some of the teachers were dispatched to search for her.

_You should be able to find me, if you let the darkness flow through you. _What did it mean? Nothing really mad sense to James, or anybody at the moment, but he knew that he had to find her no matter what. Anika walked into the room, and sat down her behind her desk. She let out a sigh, and then looked up at James. "Tell me, what happened." She said.

_Area Unknown_

Dark Mousy walked through a huge abandoned church, carrying Jasmine on his back. _This place always gives me the creeps. _He thought to himself. He walked through the back, and headed upstairs to the top floor. He entered the room, only to be halted by two huge, muscular guards. "State your business here." Said one of them. "I really don't have time for this crap. Tell him that Dark is here." The second guard walked into the back room, and returned a minute later allowing him to come in. Dark walked into the same room, and stopped after he entered. Of the other side of the dark room, a single light shone down from a hole in the roof. There was a single chair in the middle of the room, and there was a figure sitting in it. Draped in a hooded cloak, all that was visible from the light was the symbol of yin and yang on the cloak, almost like a brooch.

"Did you bring the power of heart to me?" a raspy voice asked from underneath the cloak.

"Do you have Daisuke?" replied Dark. He seemed irritated that he went through all this work to get back his tamer, but knew better than to show it.

The raspy voice simply laughed. "Bring the girl to me, and I shall release the boy."

Dark carried Jasmine to the figure in the seat, and placed her at his feet. The figure knelt down beside the unconscious girl, stroking her hair. "Yes, yes, this should be the girl. Now I must wait for my…associates to retrieve the crystal, so that I may proceed with my plan." He then stood up and turned his attention to Dark. "You may go, I will release the boy when I have the crystal and she is no longer of use to me."

"Now wait a second!" Dark said, extremely infuriated. "You said you would give back Daisuke if I brought the girl to you! Now give him back to me, or I'll make you!"

"Tsk, tsk Dark." Said the figure. "You should know better than to threaten me, I could crush you and your tamer with one finger. I think that you should leave now, before someone gets hurt."

Dark fist was clenching, and anger reared itself awake throughout his body. "You son of a –" he lunged at the figure, but with a quick raise of his hand, the figure stopped Dark in mid-strike. White plasma encircled his hand, and a huge wave a light blasted from the figure, sending Dark flying through the wall, falling into a pile of rubble outside. The figure laughed, picked up the girl, and walked away.

_Back at the school_

"That's what happened, headmaster." Finished James. He had informed her on what had happened at the museum, but while he retold the story, he wanted to run out of the room and go find her before anything happened. The headmaster sat silent, elbows on the table, and her hands intertwined in front of her face. "I see. Let me first say this, James. I ask that you do not do anything irrational." She said.

"What?" James said, angered. "You don't get it do you? She saved my life, I owe her! I have to find her, no matter what happens to me! I can't….I can't let her get hurt."

_I'll protect you._

As the words replayed in his mind, James flinched, realizing that he had to do something, anything, to get Jasmine back. "Be that as it may," began the headmaster "you must understand that your safety is just as important as hers, as well as the rest of my students. You are not the only one who expresses the desire to rescue Jasmine. If I'm correct, I think it was Ms. Davis who claimed that she had to rescue her." James looked down, _I figure Elmira would try to find her as well. _"I will tell you the same thing that I told her. You needn't worry, because our staff will find her. I have complete faith in them to rescue her." The headmaster looked at James, and he seemed to relax as her blue eyes shone at him. "Fine, whatever then." James said, feeling disgusted that she had disagreed with his wished.

"Besides," the headmaster said. "You still have a lot of training to do. I suggest you return to class."

_Later that afternoon, after school_

James walked towards Jasmine's house by himself. He wondered if he parents knew what had happened to their daughter, and whether they might blame him for it. James hung his head low, and was so lost in thought that he nearly jumped out of his shoes when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around, and realized that it was Carla, the girl from his class that he ran into that morning.

"Hi, James." She said weakly.

"Hey" he replied, in a barely audible tone

"Are you going to look for Jasmine?" she asked. James looked at her, wondering why she had asked him. "I want to, but the headmaster is against. She said that the school is handling it."

"I still think you should go look for her." Carla said. "Mira said she is, so maybe you could help her."

James stopped and looked at her. _I should still look for her, shouldn't I? _"I need to come up with a plan. If you see Mira tomorrow, tell her to meet me by my locker if she wants to do this. I'll think of something." Carla simply smiled at him.

"My house is down this way." She said as they reached the corner. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good luck!" And with a wave, she made her way down the street, fading from his view.

James thought about what everybody had said, trying to find a solution to this dilemma. _You should be able to find me, if you let the darkness flow through you. _That's what Dark had told him. He was so deep in thought; he again did not notice the arrival of someone else, as a boy landed on top of the roof of the house next to James. "Hey, looking for me?" the boy called out.

James instantly looked for the source, and angered boiled inside as he realized that it was none other than Dark.

"You, you little bastard!" James yelled. "Where is Jasmine? What did you do to her?"

"Don't get your panties in a wad, she's fine….for now." Dark said. James realized that there was no sign of that jovial arrogance in Dark's voice, it sounded more like fear.

"So what do you want now?" James said.

"You." Dark replied. "I need your help."

**Oh my gosh, I'm so exhausted!! Computer connections keeps cutting in and out, plus I have to get this storyline moving in 100 degree weather. It's too hot!!! Anyways, I'm once again sorry for the wait, but now I plan to have shorter intervals between when I post each chapter (as long as my connection stays up). R&R is appreciated. Thank you!**


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